Meghwal, Patel heading for hat-trick from Bikaner & Jalore, Vasundhara's son close to 4th term

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and sitting BJP MP Devji Patel Thursday seemed close to registering their hat-tricks on Bikaner and Jalore Lok Sabha seats respectively by defeating Congress candidates, counting trends reveal.

At the latest count, Meghwal was leading on Bikaner seat by over 2.60 lakh votes against his cousin and former IPS officer Madan Gopal Meghwal. The seat has been a BJP stronghold, won by veteran actor Dharmendra in 2004 and by Meghwal in 2009 and 2014.

Jalore too is billed as BJP's bastion, won by B Susheela in 2004 and by sitting MP Devi Ji Patel in 2009 and 2014. Patel is leading in Jalore by over 2.55 lakh votes against his rival Congress candidate Ratan Dewasi.

Apart from the two BJP leaders, 17 BJP sitting MPs, including four ministers seemed close to retaining their seats in the 2019 parliamentary elections, held in two phases in the state on April 29 and May 6.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Cabinet colleagues Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore from Jaipur rural, PP Chaudhary from Pali, Arjun Ram Meghwal from Bikaner and Gajendra Shekhawat from Jodhpur too are leading by a sizeable margin of over 2 lakh votes.

Dushyant Singh, the son of former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, is leading by over 4.29 lakh votes from Jhalawar-Baran parliamentary seat for the fourth consecutive term.